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Exhibit – Metropolitan Nomads: A Journey Through Johannesburg's Little Mogadishu

Metropolitan Nomads. A Journey Through Joburg’s Little Mogadishu

Mayfair, a Johannesburg suburb, is a place where the lives of hundreds of Somalis intersect; a space of opportunity for some, a place of refuge for others, and a home away from home for the Somali diaspora in the city. This is a multi-layered site where Somali migrants, as urban refugees, renegotiate their cultural practices in a foreign, metropolitan context; where spaces and customs that were left behind are recreated in the daily life of the neighbourhood.

Using photography and an ethnographic approach, Metropolitan Nomads takes an intimate look at the everyday life of Somali migrants in Johannesburg, where collective stories of migration and survival
interweave with the individual desires and hopes of seeking a better life outside a country shattered by decades of internal conflict. Metropolitan Nomads: A Journey through Joburg’s Little Mogadishu is a collaborative project between researcher Nereida Ripero-Muriiz and documentary photographer Salym Fayad, supported by the African Centre for Migration & Society (ACMS) at Wits University.

An exhibition by: Salym Fayad, Documentary photographer. +27 78 517 2132
www.salymfayad.com

When: TBD

Where: Paterson Hall, 4th Floor

The todoba is a ceremony celebrated seven days after a wedding, only attended by women, in which they dance and sing buraanburs to the newly married. In the past, buraanburs were composed for each ceremony, and included verses that referred to specific episodes in the lives of the newly married, their families and their clans. Nowadays the same chants are repeated in every occasion praising the deeds of the married couple’s clans.
The todoba is a ceremony celebrated seven days after a wedding, only attended by women, in which they dance and sing buraanburs to the newly married. In the past, buraanburs were composed for each ceremony, and included verses that referred to specific episodes in the lives of the newly married, their families and their clans. Nowadays the same chants are repeated in every occasion praising the deeds of the married couple’s clans.
Many Somali women face pressure from the community to marry Somali men, a practice that intends to ensure the continuity of the clan, which is patrilineal. Some women are starting to contest this and other cultural practices, such as Female Genital Cutting (FGC), due to their direct access to the Qur´an, which allows them to question and transform some expressions of their ‘Somaliness’.
Many Somali women face pressure from the community to marry Somali men, a practice that intends to ensure the continuity of the clan, which is patrilineal. Some women are starting to contest this and other cultural practices, such as Female Genital Cutting (FGC), due to their direct access to the Qur´an, which allows them to question and transform some expressions of their ‘Somaliness’.
Most of the belongings migrants carry from Somalia are lost along the journey. Among the few personal items that they manage to bring with them are family photographs taken in Somalia.
Most of the belongings migrants carry from Somalia are lost along the journey. Among the few personal items that they manage to bring with them are family photographs taken in Somalia.
Muslim Ethiopians from the Oromia region also inhabit Mayfair’s streets, bringing their own cultural practices to the neighbourhood.
Muslim Ethiopians from the Oromia region also inhabit Mayfair’s streets, bringing their own cultural practices to the neighbourhood.
Mayfair is also known as “little Mogadishu”, not only because of the large number of Somalis living there, but also because of the way they recreate Mogadishu’s street life and social spaces. At Ibrahim’s café, traditional Somali artefacts are displayed on the walls, referencing cultural practices, traditional values and Somalia’s pre-civil war history.
Mayfair is also known as “little Mogadishu”, not only because of the large number of Somalis living there, but also because of the way they recreate Mogadishu’s street life and social spaces. At Ibrahim’s café, traditional Somali artefacts are displayed on the walls, referencing cultural practices, traditional values and Somalia’s pre-civil war history.
South African Indians started moving to Mayfair, a white suburb under apartheid, in the late 1980s. Somalis also began to settle in the area in the early 1990s because of the religious connection with the Indian Muslim population.
South African Indians started moving to Mayfair, a white suburb under apartheid, in the late 1980s. Somalis also began to settle in the area in the early 1990s because of the religious connection with the Indian Muslim population.
The transformation of the urban space occurs through material reproductions and also through social, cultural and religious practices, routines and street life. These expressions of Somaliness transform spaces into very distinctive places, in which collective identities form transcending national borders.
The transformation of the urban space occurs through material reproductions and also through social, cultural and religious practices, routines and street life. These expressions of Somaliness transform spaces into very distinctive places, in which collective identities form transcending national borders.
Even if new technologies play an important role in the daily life of Somalis, the custom of being photographed at a studio still takes place on special occasions, such as Eid. These photos are later sent to relatives back in Somalia and around the world.
Even if new technologies play an important role in the daily life of Somalis, the custom of being photographed at a studio still takes place on special occasions, such as Eid. These photos are later sent to relatives back in Somalia and around the world.

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